Etymologically
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quadrellus

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Forms

quadrellus m (genitive quadrellī); second declension[1][2] Variants include quarrellus, quarellus, querellus, carrellus and quadrillus.[1][2] British sources also have a neuter quadrellum.[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin quadrus (“square”) + -ellus.[1][3][2] Etymonline relates quadrus to quattuor (“four”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest record is a charter of 868.[2] The first sense in Niermeyer is a land measure, a twentieth of an arpent;[1][5] Du Cange quotes an estate list in Hariulf's chronicle that counts meadow and marsh in quadrelli.[1][5]

Semantic evolution

Its best-known sense was the square-headed bolt shot from a crossbow.[1][3][5] It also named a square tile or paving stone, and a quarter of a hogshead.[1][5]

The crossbow bolt passed through Old French quarel into English as quarrel, and Medieval Latin quadrellus “square tile” gave the later English sense of a square pane of glass.[4]

Timeline

  • 868 – First recorded, in a charter.[2]
  • 1246 – An English record lists crossbows with two hundred quadrelli.[3]
  • mid-13th century – English quarrel “crossbow bolt” is borrowed from Old French.[4]
  • mid-15th century – English quarrel “square pane of glass” appears, from the sense “square tile”.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) A land measure.[1][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A square-headed bolt for a crossbow, a quarrel.[1][3][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A square tile, paving stone.[1][5]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A quarter of a hogshead.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d e Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre